Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-09

CONVICT LABOR

Councilman Waters, in bis report upor
the Territorial penitentiary, makes som.
suggestions concerning convict labor which
commend themselves to the serious eonsid
Grafton Of those Who have the Interests Of
labor and laboring men at heart. He
says
Jimmy judgment. rome steps should be
Immediately taken which will enable the
Territorial prisoners to be employed in
some kind of labor. in such manner as will
conflict to the least possible extent with
the products of the labofers in the general
community. Many Of the prisoners urged
me to attempt to bring about such an ar.
rangemeDt OF their condition and confiDe-
ment a. viii enable them to be employed.
Confined, as they are with nothing to do,
when the term of their sentence has ex-
pired they are turned loose upon the
wori.A dishearten-d, in NO condition to
themselves and physically wrecked, to the
extent that they are powerless, if they
would in NAM instances to overcome the
evil habits formed prior to their c~onine-
ment and to enable them to rise. if they
would, to the dignity of manhood. 1t has
been truly said that an idle brain is the
DEVILS workshop. and that when a m o is
turned loose after three or five years con-
finement, physically unable to cope with
other laborers in his struggle for existence,
We have added to the possibilities of the
commission OF crime and have done moth
ing toward the reformation Of the convict.
l recommend that some steps be imme-l
diately taken whereby TIE Territorial con-
victs can be employed as / have hereinbe-
fore suggested. believing that reform can
only be efeetually attained by preparing
the criminal to care for himself after the
expiration OF bis confinement"
This question of prison labor il now oe. |
cupying the attention OF the Government,
and Mr.. Wright. the Commissioner Of the
Bureau OF Labor Statistics. has prepared
a report on the subject which has been
to the head Of the Interior De-
partment and viii soon be published.
1t represents the labors OF more than q
year. and is the most exhaustive treatise
On the topic yet presented in . quarter.
From advance sheets OF the document,
,omprehending nost Of the conclusions ar
at by the Commissioner, it is learned
hat the number Of conviets employed 10
productive industries either under
The State account or the contract systems
is 45,277. and that they annually produce
articles to the value Of $2s,-
900, their services being equal to the
abor of 81, 600 free artisans. In point of
'slze the chief product of prison labor is
boots and shoes. amounting to $10.OO0.-
100. clothing coming next with 81, 100, 900.
I'd wagons, harness and ssddlery and
having more thar 81. 600, 900
.ach.
These hgvres agree very closely with the
approximations which have hitherto been
made for purposes OF comparison and
argument, but coming from the national
,ureau they will be accepted hereafter by
Vi who have occasion to deal with this
Except in the matter OF boots ]
md shoes the competition Of convict labor
nth free labor is Insignificant. Taken
together the $4,000 convicts who are
mployed in every description OF industry 4
ut an uriInportant figure in comparison
nth the hundreds of thousands OF free
engaged in the same lines.
ir. Wright takes the ground that as at !
conducted, the prison manufac.
uring enterprises should be reformed. not
0 much in the interest OF honest labor, 9
hough that is not lost sight OF, az in the q
interest OF the convicts themselves. He l
sserts that power machinery is unjust to q
he prisoner and to the free man, to the
primer because it prevents his acquisition
I a trade and to the latter because it
nables contractors to hire prison labor at
heap rates and enter into competition
it'll establishments employing free labor. e
he result Of this is either to give the ?
contractor excessive profits or to T
lace him in a position where, by reason Il
I bis cheaper labor. he can bear the mar .
ct f"r he product in which he deals. Il
Coramissinner Wright closes his report o
18th an urgent recommendation that in the d
terest OF humanity and the reduction of 2
line the prisoners in American peniten-
aries be placed at work exclusively upon .
rticles which can he produced by hand, v
,us enabling them to learn useful trades v
I'D reducing their competition with free t
Dor to the minimum. Coming from a !:
who enjoys the confidence Of !;
9TH capital and labor, the suggestions ad- 0
anced by COMMISSIONS Wright will be 4
kely to have an important bearing upon t
'e discussion which the agitation OF the :.
Dor organizations has provoked. u